#Genie Twilight

[idreamoftwilightsparkleroleplay]

Solar and twilight: hello genie twilight

Genie Twilight: Why hello ther- wha!

She's taken a bit aback by the 2-headed pony before her.

Genie Twilight: Well, I'm no stranger to meeting other me's... and I've seen my fair share of conjoinment. Just pardon if I didn't expect to see somepony like the two of you, heh heh... ^^'

[raviosrupees]

My parent rates LU Link's based on first impressions

[warning foul language, mention of alcohol, and my parents very negative impression of Wars !!! note this is my parents impression based off of the LU concept sketches + descriptions. a lot of em aren't accurate]

TIME

Very God of War, Kratos. PTSD Link.

when all the others are hanging out he's in the cups. He fought the moon? Sounds about right. Everyone else is talking and goofing off and he's got the thousand yard stare.

No one talks about how he cant get a full nights sleep. Please let him nap. Maybe let the owl take a nap too.

*stares at him for a very long time, before taking a sip of mimosa*

TWILIGHT

blond hiccup [httyd] very viking. Humble? Hiccup. Animal whisperer? Does he have a dragon? he turns in to a wolf? good for hiccup. getting over a complicated relationship? ...... h-

OH HE HAS GOATS? I love goats! Love this guy.

WARRIORS

Ah, douchy paladin! Yeah he's got the hip flex, he knows he's the shit. Very prideful? Of course you are. Leader type? Women problems? Not surprised. [said they most wanted to punch this one]

"This one writes himself. On Reddit forums"

FOUR [their 3rd fav]

"eeny meeny hippy genie" They've got the weird flowy scarf hat, they're super tiny! Dwarf.. chaos gremlin-- No that's a changeling! I don't think that's actually a Link, I think they faked their way in. Not that I blame them, its a pretty cool crew to be a part of. Spy for the fae realm.

WILD

5th grade school photo link. He's really excited for his first day of school and has a planner for all of his classes.

Good at navigation? Kudos for being a good boy scout.

Her 2nd favorite.

WILD

"Legolas Link" he likes to run on snow, flip his hair back + forth and shit talk dwarves [changeling doesn't like that]

"takes any questioning of his princess too personally? Why are they questioning his princess in the first place? *squints* Why is he so upset? Feel like maybe we need some codependency therapy-

IDENTITY CRISIS DUE TO MEMORY LOSS???? oh no, there we go, the therapy- INSECURE? THE ONLY ONE THAT FAILED? Dude, I think douchy paladin needs to take him to therapy-, maybe it'll convince him to get some too.

Proceeds to go into a rant about his sheikah tech being called weird magic: "Why are they calling his magic weird? That's rude ! They need to have more open minds, no wonder he's insecure! He just needs to feel confident and supported in his new environment and they're not being very supportive right now!"

*orders another mimosa*

LEGEND [their favorite]

"We've got stoner wizard link..." "Which one?" "He's wearing red, and like a fancy staff with a ball at the end for walloping on people who say he's not a real wizard" He just smacks em and says duh yes I am, but usually he doesn't bother with it bc he's too chill.

He's the Millenial of the linked universe. "Chooses not to be a leader type? 'Nope, Im good, just here for a paycheck not a promotion. Some PTO would be nice. Another adventure? He'd rather start a commune"

"Seems unaffected by his adventures?" Uhh he is though. He's just delusional about it now.

HYRULE

Classic link [true] silent generation, nobody acknowledges him. "just happy to be included," mistaken as a hobbit.

"He's actually a traveler, never stays in one place" "Ah so post adventure Bilbo baggins, who wants to see mountains again."

*starts singing "the road goes ever on and on"*

SKY

Foppy link. Fabulous haircut, cape swooped over one shoulder with the gorgeous coloring, contrasting belt-- he knows color schemes way too well, he could be in project runway.

"Not the leader type? Sure he's too busy worrying about fabric swatches. Views the master sword as a blessing? Yeah, I bet he does."

Very confidently decided his Zelda is a beard.

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

Formal Announcement of ending I Dream of Twilight Sparkle

Hello everyone, I am announcing that today. I am closing I Dream of Twilight Sparkle after 12 years. And unfortunately canceling that final story I alluded to before. Because each time I tried to start it, I just couldn't find the motivation or got too distracted by something else.

I think after 12 years my creative juices when it comes to ponies has come to an end. I think it's fair to say I've done enough. As just about every character I wanted to get a form of closure got it. Both Secrets of the Dragon's Tear and Earnest Empathetic Change I think alone already kinda serve as good finale stories in the closing years.

The story I had in mind to close things off would have simply been a timeskip of more than 1000 years where Twilight and Starlight have kept the peace. And IDOTS' versions of the G5 Mane 6 just being part of one of many, many, generations that got to flourish under Twilight and Starlight's rule. The G5 Mane 6 were going to be invited to Canterlot's castle. And got to personally speak with Twilight, Starlight, and the spirits of the rest of the G4 Mane 6, Sunset Shimmer, and Queen Chrysalis.

Sunny Starscout and the rest would then be sent on her way to Saddle Arabia where she'd get the opportunity to be asked if she'd like to have the honor of being the next Equestrian Genie after Twilight. The story would end on it being open ended on whether Sunny would accept or not. Cause regardless of how it went, I have no intention of moving on to a I Dream of Sunny Starscout blog or anything like that. So it'd be up to someone else if they wanted to pick up the mantle to start their own Genie Sunny story.

Kinda sucks that I'm canceling a G5 related thing as well when Hasbro itself is canceling G5 plans what with Tell Your Tale ending very soon. As while I will not lie, G5 never grabbed me the way G4 did. But I think the characters had potential. And if nothing else, Misty Brightdawn was perhaps the best thing to come out of G5 overall.

But back to I Dream of Twilight Sparkle. I've had a lot of fun with this blog and met many friends thanks to keeping this up for so long. Some I haven't seen or spoke to in years and may never see again but still appreciate the time I had with them, and ones I still maintain friendships with to this day.

I'm not sure I could ever say enough words for everything that's happened in the 12 years I was running the blog. But I think it's the right time to have it all come to an end. I have nothing more in mind for the universe of Genie Twilight that I really want to cover. I also formally canceled Geniequestria not too long ago. It almost feels like I'm leaving the fandom entirely. But I still plan on hanging around. There's just nothing I have in mind that's pony related from a creative sense.

So thank you to every follower, asker, and friend I've ever made through this blog. I will keep the ask button open on IDOTS for a good while in case there's people who feel obligated to say their goodbyes or any other kind of message. I may even answer them here, if they have a form of question or feature them anyway if it's a touching sort of message.

As for what I'm moving on to, my creative efforts are focused entirely on Cosmic Heart Zone. Which is a Sonic-themed blog about my favorite Sonic character Tails and Cosmo the Seedrian (A character that was Sonic X only in official continuities, but in this case an AU where she was involved in many of the main games). So if you're a Sonic fan, there's at least something you can still follow me for, as I have some exciting things in mind for this.

Otherwise I'll still have my mod blog if you want to talk with me about any subject that doesn't relate to I Dream of Twilight Sparkle or any of my other blogs.

It's been a long 12 years, feels so much longer than that almost. Once again thanks for every follower, ask, and interaction I've ever had from going on this long.

It becomes hard to let go of something you've ran even as just a hobby for over a decade. But I think now's a good time to do so now. Thank you all for the memories.

[sweetiepotatofry]

If I had a genie one of my wishes would be for mlp g5 to be the exact same, except, there is visibly a mare in both the sun and moon. With no further explanation.

[jaesti]

so long since i last drew them..

[thelinnmiser]

Yeah, I Know Nobody Is Gonna Like This Since It's Pooh's Adventures & Crap But I Promise That I'm Gonna Suffer With Making My 1st EVER Pooh's Adventures Video.

[adhdmother]

Screaming, crying, and throwing up

The fact that Apple has a wizard, elf, vampire, genie, fairy, and zombie emojis but not a werewolf for when I reference make random Twilight references over text is truly a war crime

[fairmoors]

self care is laying on your bed as you listen to the twilight audiobook

[snekdood]

lmao???

this quiz sorts through characters from like dozens of fandoms and finds the one you’re most like. I’m not even a little bit surprised by my result

[eviexxeditz]

genie in a bottle 🧞🧞‍♀️ (•alexa demie edit•)

this is an old edit I discovered so u can see my improvement lmao - also my watermark isn’t here❕💋 so pls don’t steal this OR ELSE🫵📸

[spectraspecs-writes]

Yo why in every single fantasy George has is the dog, that he loves so much, a completely different dog

[idreamoftwilightsparkleroleplay]

Question! Are there any sort of wishes that usually have unintended or unforeseen consequences?

Genie Twilight: As long as I'm in the right mind, no. I always think things through if there's a chance something could go wrong with the wish.

The wish is also always to my interpretation, so even if somepony words a wish that would sound like it'd have a consequence say...

"I wish you'd make me a sandwich" I make sure to interpret that they just want a sandwich. Not be TURNED INTO a sandwich.

...Although, food wishes aren't a good idea for me anyhow. No matter what happens, any food made by my magic makes the food taste dull compared to properly made food.

[lucienweekofficial]

🕯️ Happy Spooky Season! We have a very special, two-part Lucien Week Ask Game for you! Pull a question out of the Cauldron and send your mutuals a Halloween Edition question — then scroll down to find even more options to haunt them with…

Thank you to the Elucien Week mods for inspiring us with the ask game idea!

🎃 HALLOWEEN EDITION 🎃

🍿 || What would Lucien’s favorite scary movie be and why?

🩸 || “This is the skin of a killer”, or “You smell like a wet dog?” Who would Lucien be in a Twilight AU?

👻 || How would Lucien handle being the main character in a horror movie? Would he investigate the haunted manor? Become best friends with the ghost?

🧞‍♂️ || A genie grants Lucien three wishes, but they cannot be any of the following: money, death, and love. What does he wish for?

🦹 || What would be Lucien’s go-to Halloween costume?

🍬 TRICK OR TREAT! 🍬Now ask some of the following…

💭 || What is your favorite Lucien headcanon and why?

📖 || Share your favorite Lucien quote!

🚢 || What is your favorite Lucien ship and why?

☕️ || What do you think would be Lucien’s go-to coffee order?

📝 || Share a snippet of your Lucien Week WIP!

😇 || What is the best quality that Lucien shares with you?

😈 || What is the worst quality that Lucien shares with you?

🎵 || Share a song that reminds you of Lucien!

🎩 || Lucien the Gentleman, or Lucien the Rake? Which version of our fox-boy do you prefer?

🎨 || Share your favorite Lucien fanart(s)!

🖊️ || Share your favorite Lucien fic(s)!

👀 ||| How excited are you for Lucien Week 2024?

💃 || Share your Lucien Week plans!

🌙 || If I offer you the moon on a string, will you give me a kiss, too?

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

((Now that Earnest Empathetic Change is over, thought it'd be properly show what's the most obvious change (That I can show anyway, as unfortunately a look at the reformed Chrysalis is likely not within my spriting capabilities)

Now in the timeskip, Starlight has ascended into a princess after she successfully brings Chrysalis in good graces with Equestria. And is recognized as growing into Luna's role as the younger of the two royal sisters. I should of course make it clear that this is an adopted sisterhood. Much like how Celestia adopted Cadence as a niece. I am not saying Starlight is like a long lost sister-by-blood. The only way that makes sense is if Twilight Velvet had a fling with Firelight that ended up giving birth to Starlight (Or if Night Light had a fling with whoever Starlight's canon mother is and Firelight either adopted Starlight all the same or never knew Starlight was never his daughter by blood). Which might be interesting takes for a story to go for (If it hasn't already been done). But we've already well established that isn't the case here.

But a huge point that's been a theme of I Dream of Twilight Sparkle for very long. Is an adopted family relationship can be just as valid as one by blood. As that's how it's been with Twilight & Spike's mother-son relationship ever since the blog was only 1 year old.

Also, fun fact... I named the story Earnest Empathetic Change to play off of Magical Mystery Cure's acronym of MMC of simply rotating the (lower case) m into an E ;) ))

[koyagifs]

𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓮𝔃 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

.☘︎ ݁˖- Angst | ✦ - mdni | ✿ -Fluff |

OT8 ↴

࣪˖ ִֶָ 𓂃Deep Dive ִֶ ◁◁ II ▷▷ 2:17 ━━━━━━♡━━━ 3:34

the quarry | wip | ✦

Kim Hong Jong ↴

𝒚𝒐𝒖 '𝒏' 𝒎𝒆... -----

--- 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.♡

why do you love | .☘︎ ݁˖ shattered trust | on pause boyfriend | ✿ stuck with you | ✿ love killa | ✦

Park Seong Hwa ↴

੭﹕𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 ̊ ̟ ꒷꒦ 💬

unrequited | .☘︎ ݁˖| ✿ starlit confessions | ✿ silent farewell | ☘︎ ݁˖ i love the way | ✿ twilight |

Jeong Yun Ho ↴

☆ “hold my hand we are both enough”☆

unrequited | .☘︎ ݁˖ dance with me | ✿ chasing dreams | ✿ the weight of goodbye | ☘︎ ݁˖ thinking about you | ✿ love sick | ✦ | ✿ my way |

Kang Yeo Sang ↴

   ˚ ꕮ I'vᥱ got mყ ᥱყᥱ oᥒ ყoᥙ ㅤㅤ۫ㅤᘞ 𐚁̸ ࣪ㅤ𓈒

missed you | .☘︎ ݁˖ | ✿ whispers in the rain | ✿ fading light | ☘︎ ݁˖ daydreamin' | ✿ treasure |

Choi San ↴

`· . ୨୧⭒๋࣭ ⭑ 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. ⊹ ‧₊˚ 🍒⋆｡˚

facade of perfection | 2 | 3 | .☘︎ ݁˖ |✿ hidden messages | ✿ echoes of silence |☘︎ ݁˖ right there | ✿

Song Min Gi ↴

ᘒ :  In the end . . .

         It's him & i 𓂃 ❜ ꒱

unspoken words |.☘︎ ݁˖ whispers of the evening | ✿ fading fire | ☘︎ ݁˖ bad decisions | ✿ love sick | ✦ | ✿ stay |

Jung Woo Young ↴

𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 ෴ˋ ╸

🂡 ⊰ 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝖺𝗌 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 ♡

fractured promises | .☘︎ ݁˖ midnight serenade | ✿ shattered reflections |☘︎ ݁˖ genie in a bottle | ✿ hot ones | ✿ pirate king |

Choi Jong Ho ↴

𝑰𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 ♡

unspoken pain | .☘︎ ݁˖ amusement love | ✿ sweet surprises | ✿ fall in love again | ✿ into you | ✿

9th member au ↴

𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕~

→ what if masterlist → Kprofile → instagram → twitter → youtube → wanteez masterlist → Eras masterlist → what if!

[murfeelee]

TS3 vs TS4 Features - Supernatural

I saw @moonbiscuitsims' comment here about how EA added "way more features" in their TS4 occult packs, and I wanted to talk about it in depth, cuz that's a misleading statement. Y'all know TS4's my trigger.

Cuz yes, on paper, EA offers a LOT of stuff in TS4 packs. But the saying goes: as broad as an ocean and as deep as a puddle. 😬 QUALITY, versus QUANTITY, which is crucial for replayability, customization, variability, and ultimate longevity. And another thing is the TIMEFRAME that that content was released. Sure, if it takes you 10 years to develop/dripfeed your frikkin game, ofc you can add more content over more packs; than if you'd just stuck to ONE dedicated pack, developed it in 1-2 years, and given people arguably BETTER, if not MORE content.

My gut reaction's to say EA had BETTER be offering more content! 😤 Not even to justify the ridiculous pricetag or anything, but for the simple fact that TS4's supposed to be NEXT GEN. It's SUPPOSED to be bigger & better than everything that came before it. Why are we sitting here for 10 years with TS4 if it ain't gonna increase ANYTHING but my rising blood pressure & trust issues?!

So Imma just examine TS3 SN in comparison with TS4's packs, and give my take on what's been going on, from 2012 (SN EP) to now.

Missing Features: TS4 Fairies

A fairy was the very first sim I ever made in TS3 back in 2009 (my avatar sim, Sakura). Watching the SN announcement trailer for the first time dang near made me cry. TS4 could never; moving on.

Missing Features: TS4 Zombies & Toadsims

TS4 Tragic Clowns are a W for the apple juggling & costume. I think EA was lazy by slacking on the clown just cuz he's already dead in Sunset Valley; and I guess they don't expect players to resurrect his ghost. SN EP did nothing to actually improve/expand him, just creating the alchemy Clown Potion; I guess to better integrate fishing the Clownfish into the lore.

TS4 Vampires GP (2017)

This is an easy one. I've said since TS3 Late Night EP (2010) that TS3's vampires are utter dogtrash, and the SN EP did eff all to patch/improve them, and I will die on that hill (until someone figures out how to give convert TS4's functional coffins & vampire fights & special FX). Compared to every other occult, I have more mods installed just to try to fix how effing busted & stupid vamps are; and these sparkling Twilight dumb AF bloodsuckers STILL get on my dang nerves.

IMO, TS4 Vampires is hands down the best pack EA ever made for TS4. 10/10, the attention they put in that pack outclasses darn near everything else they did until TS4 Seasons. Undisputed W, yes. 👏

TS4 Realm of Magic GP (2019)

Disputed W. I gave it an 8/10 at BEST, cuz magic/fantasy's a win, but I am disappointed. If this had been a home run for EA, I'd've shut my dang mouth, ISTG. But alas. I went on a long AF tirade against RoM when I realized that a lot of its so-called "new" features were things we could already do in TS4, with a flashy coat of paint--let alone things TS3 & the SN EP did, and better. Some things I didn't mention though:

Muggles who ask spellcasters how to do magic are sent on a fetch quest for Magic Motes, which is EXACTLY what the ITF EP Time Traveler occult Emit Revelart makes normies do to, finding Power Cells to learn how to use the Time Portal.

The Witch's perks/ranks system works just like the Vampires one, so kudos to EA for not fixing something that ain't broke I guess.

The Spells: At MTS I actually broke down what each of TS4's spellcasters do that's largely nothing sims couldn't do in TS3, even before SN came out (via SHT Genies or SSNS Aliens, or the Store).

TS3 Witches (let alone other lifestates) can do most of this either through alchemy or inherited features from older TS3 packs. This was a huge RoM dealbreaker for me, as I'd been hoping for WAY more innovative features in TS4's spells--the whole point of Spellcasters--than just an elaborate set of cheats. TS3's Witch's main features are fewer, but far more cohesive, IMO. (Granted, NONE of the packs holds a single candle to the GOAT that is TS1's Makin Magic, which had WAY more features than TS2, TS3 & TS4; and was CHEAPER. But I digress.)

There's no unique features with TS3/TS4 wands; they act the same way; the effects are just different, and TBH I'm not a fan of either--I wish wand/magic FXs could be modded in different colors at least (like BLACK 😈). But I DO like that in TS4 they can duel for rewards.

TS4 brooms do EFF ALL in a closed world; EA made them exactly they way they were in TS2, with zero innovation. (IIRC kids can't even use them--EA's hatred for kids & elders ALMOST matches MY hatred of EA.)

IMO beekeeping doesn't count, cuz TS3 included it as a small feature for alchemy ingredients in the SN EP, while TS4 integrated it far better in SSNS to work with gardening, which is genius.

Speaking of SSNS, there's the Weather Stone that only appears if you have both SN & SSNS, so occults can conjure magical weather effects over the whole world. (I'll talk about the best perk under Crystals SP.)

Familiars are the certified W for me with RoM. They're the best & most unique & most well-thought out & feature of the GP, IMO. ❤️

Extra TS4 features I think are supremely cool are spellcasters' books floating whenever they read anything. And their cauldrons have much cooler animations, and I'm so jealous that y'all can cook food in them; EA should've added that to the Store Cauldron, although I guess I understand why they didn't in the SN EP Alchemy Cauldron.

A lot of RoM's features are wrapped around Glimmerbrook. Access to Glimmerbrook comes with the Glimmer Stone key--and I WOULD use that as a segue into the Crystals SP, but I'll hold off. I already vented about Glimmerbrook in my Werewolves GP rant--but I'll get to that in a minute, too. The bigger issue is what even constitutes a TS4 "world"--those non-customizeable tiny AF clusters of tiny AF lots and huge swaths of decorative set dressing--let alone the Diagon Alley ripoff EA loves promoting like I was born yesterday and never saw Harry Potter. GORGEOUS realm, of course, like many EA worlds are. But they're largely just set-dressing, which irritates me to no end.

TS4 Paranormal SP (2021)

I've ranted & raved about Paranormal before: 7/10 at best.

TS4 Seances with the crystal ball work very differently from TS3's Soothsayer's Crystal Ball, which wasn't about banishing ghosts, but improving progression for SN's Witches & Fortune Telling (career). Fortune Telling's NOT a ghostly job, although the boho aesthetic carried over to TS4 Paranormal. (On top of the fact that they promised this whole NOLA Voodoo vibe, but delivered ZERO cultural accurate features reflecting ANYTHING from Haitian Voodoo, wtf? It's all hippie boho New Age BS--why TF does the tutorial ghost look more like Johnny Depp and less like Dr. Facilier, I ask you, EA.) Granted, some of the interactive objects are nice, like the calming dollbaby & magic candles to purify lots--kinda like TS3 incense. But again: 1-trick ponies. Yes, the animations look great, but crystal balls are typically for divination, asking spirits about the past/present/future, not removing haunting poltergeists, so I don't really get it. Stylish & gorgeous! But GENERIC AF substance-wise.

IMO, TS4's Ghosts are an L across the board; all the way from the base game--that bafflingly launched in 2014 WITHOUT ghosts until they were patched in a whole month later after everyone rose a stink (IIRC TS4 kids can't be ghosts!?)--to present. EA's been over/course-correcting from that gaffe ever since, with like double the amount of Death types than TS3. I DO NOT like how TS4 ghosts colors are tied to Eeemotionnsss~! (more like they're a sentient Plumbbob). TBF, kudos to TS4's smoky cloudy effect when ghosts appear. But the lack of unique deaths & ghost types in RoM (aside from Spellcaster Overload & the Night Wraith) made me roll my eyes, as SN EP's ghost types are some of my faves (ITF & SHT are also my top 3).

IIRC it was the SN patch that unlocked all types in (basegame?) CAS to make playable Ghosts. SN's Philosopher's Stone allows sims to summon new playable Ghosts (and ofc allows for transmutating cheap objects into gold ingots--more on that later), or it can just kill you and make YOU the new ghost, LOL.

But as for features, sure, TS4 ghosts have more interactions--though they're all pretty, rather than scary (vs TS2 ghosts, which were SCARY). TS4 ghosts lost the HORROR to just be silly/goofy or just CUTESY--especially the little spectres from Paranormal.

Speaking of horror, I can't talk about ghosts w/out bringing up TS3's AMB EP, cuz the Ghost Hunter (profession) is the real parallel with TS4's Paranormal Investigator (freelancer). In TS3, they actually stuck to their promised main premise (Ghostbusters). Overall, TS4 Seances are nowhere near as fluid as TS3 ghostbusting. In TS3 you can run all over the world using gidgets-gadgets to detect/fight ghosts & sprites, not just inside haunted houses, but anywhere they happen to spawn (ofc inc. graveyards). You're not just locked to a lot/house the player already knows is haunted (cuz you just toggle Haunted Lot to trigger the feature--SN's Ghost Gnome object isn't exactly the same, but it does spawn hauntings on the lots you put them in). ANY TS3 indoor/outdoor residential/community lot can randomly get haunted during a Ghost Hunter's shift; and you never know which one it'll be, or what kind of shenanigans will happen--EVIL ghost or just some sprites--which skyrockets replayability & keeps things fresh & interesting.

Functionally, Paranormal had no right to be that dang good for a Stuff Pack. That was a Game Pack; IDKY EA insists otherwise; esp. when it offered more & better things than some actual GPs. I'm confused. However, a serious problem TS4 has is that it gameifies everything to the point that TS4's numerous features lose their spontaneity, and just become rote--BORING. The ectoplasm everywhere just becomes another mess in your (haunted) house you have to clean--CHORES. On top of me not liking TS4 ghosts' look & vibe (and I HATE TS4's Bonehilda). Quality over quantity, EA!

TS4 Werewolves GP (2022)

Speaking of ghosts, waaaay back in 2020 I told the spirits precisely what I wanted from a potential Werewolf dedicated TS4 pack. Did they listen? HAYUL NAW. So in 2022 I said everything I had to say about the Werewolves GP, and accepted the fact that EA's INEPT.

Do TS4's wolves have MORE features than TS3? YES ofc (even in 2012 everyone complained that Witches & Faeries got the lion's share & Werewolves got shafted--they're basically glorified Familiars for Witches/Alchemist to find collectibles--more on that below). But was most of it GOOD features though? Debatable! I LOATHE the 2 wolf packs, which was what I'd most looked forward to; plus the whole world's aesthetic was ugly homeless-grunge, without a single bit of creativity or originality--only EA could make monsters as terrifying as werewolves effing cartoony hipster squatters. 🤦 7/10 at best.

TS4 Crystals SP (2024)

These crystals are ugly, EA. Which is weird, cuz the basegame TS4 gems & esp. space rocks are GORGEOUS. I have no idea which vision-impaired dev at EAxis thought these nasty looking opaque poorly-painted rocks were pretty.

Features-wise, granted, having TS4's bonafide Gemology skill from the Crystals SP's nice, instead of TS3's basegame hidden Collector skill. But the functioanlity's largely the same: cut more, unlock more (which I prefer to cheat my way through--TS3 thinks I have time for all this gameplay, LOL). (Not to mention all the extra features TS3's Aliens, Simbots & Plumbbots have when interacting with gems, space rocks, or metals.) TS4 only got 10 gem cuts for 27 crystals (=270), (+25 metals); compared to TS3's 16 gem cuts for 28 gems (=448), (+16 metals with their own separate ingots). Of TS4's 10 cuts, the Skull Cut is the ONLY one I think looks better (ignoring the atrociously flat textures ofc) than TS3's (which TS4 copy/pasted--no agates, no crystal ball, wtf).

The Garden Gnome cut isn't unique to TS4, as TS3 has several craftable (glass-only) Garden Gnome cut from the Glassblowing Machine (more on that soon).

The only TS3 gem that genuinely affects sims is radioactive Tiberium from the WA EP, so more features is definitely a plus. The best addition is TS4's Charging Grid feature--I LOVE that TS4 crystals can be imbued with magic energy--it's like TS3's Store Crystal Tree, ITF EP's magic crystal plants & the SN EP Mood Lamp all rolled into one. @greenplumbboblover's WIP Interests & Hobbies mod brainstormed integrating that functionality that back in 2020.

The functionality of the TS3 SN EP Gem Cutter & the TS4 Crystal Tree are similar, though ofc the tree's wallet & eco-friendly; and it's a plant, not a hunk of machinery, so it naturally has that going for it.

There's also the SN-SSNS Weather Stone, which gives werewolves the ability to summon a Hunter's Storm, raining a hail of gems, rocks & metals over the whole world for easy loot farming. (The best perk, though my fave is the Faeries' Reviving Sprinkle for gardening.)

Aside from SN, TS3's real equivalent is actually the Prism Art Studio Venue's Artisan skill. Cuz the REAL seller's the jewellery-making. There's ~100 CAS items in Crystals SP (plus 30+ regular Build/Buy mode objects). At $10, the Crystals SP is a steal, at least when compared to the BONKERS $20 tag on TS3's Prism Art Studio at the Store (2014). IIRC the Glassblowing Machine newly added 16 craftable CAS items & 13 craftable glass objects (as SN already gave us the Gem-Cutting Machine & AMB already gave us the Widgets work station); and 8 Build/Buy objects (inc. the goated L-shaped "spiral" stairs). It also added 5 craftable Perfumes for sims to use.

So while the Crystals SP added NICE features, I wouldn't say they added MORE features. Rather, they added more content: Quantity. But as for Quality, I think TS3 beats it out--the Prism Studio's a effing ripoff, but AFAIK it added features TS4 still doesn't have yet (craftable glassblowing & perfumes, spiral stairs); and the objects it did add are pretty nifty.

Timeframe-wise, we got the 2014 Prism Art Studio's Glassblower 2 years after the SN EP's Gem-Cutter; 5 years after the 2009 basegame. Compared to TS4's wait for the Crystals SP 2 years after Werewolves, 3 after Paranormal, 5 after RoM; and a whopping DECADE after the basegame launched in 2014. Wtf, EA?

Still, I'd say the Crystal SP's a 7/10 (there's not enough gem cuts, the gems textures are ugly, and most of the features were lifted from things TS3 had innovated 10+ years earlier).

TL;DR

Quantity =/= Quality.

EA's been taking way too long releasing packs to have the nerve to present debatable content--it should be goated releases EVERY time; esp. since everyone agrees TS4 is easier to create content for, so much smaller in scale/scope, and with an infinitely larger budget & fanbase than The Sims franchise ever had. There's zero excuse for EAxis' mediocrity, when TS3 was churning out EPs like it's life depended on it: SHT, SN, and SSNS all came out the SAME EFFING YEAR. 2012 was LIT.

EA, you suck.